Philippine National Police Chief Debold Sinas said Sunday a manhunt is underway to arrest the killers of Vice Mayor Restituto Calonge of Mabuhay town in Zamboanga Sibugay and Edgar Pampanga, an engineer.
He said forces in the Zamboanga peninsula had been mobilized to capture the suspects Erer Magoda and Jomar Taiting, both members of the Anwar Ansang Criminal Group who were said to be engaged in gun for hire, piracy and illegal drug activities in the region.
The two were tagged by witnesses as responsible for shooting dead Calonge and Pampanga and for injuring two others in the Mabuhay town plaza at 3 p.m. on Feb. 26.
Wounded during the shooting were municipal employee Abduhari Gapor and retired PNP member Gregorio Baya Cenas.
Initial investigation showed that while the victims were having a conversation near the municipal hall of Mabuhay town, the gunmen approached and shot the victims using a cal. 45 pistols based on the recovered cartridges.
Gapor was taken to the hospital while Calonge and Pampanga died on the spot.
The suspects fled toward an unknown direction and got on a motorcycle described as a black Honda XRM125.
